142 The Food of Birds. 



blackberries were all eaten by them, grapes alone making 

 more than half their food. Hymenoptera amounted to 

 nineteen per cent, of the whole ; ants to seven, caterpillars 

 to twelve, crane-flies to four, and Ooleoptera to eighteen 

 per cent. ; live per cent, were Carabid^ (including Aniso- 

 dactylus), three per cent, were leaf-chafers and two per 

 cent, were curculios. One of the birds, taken at Warsaw 

 in April, had eaten little else than Scolytus mut'icus. 

 Two per cent, of the food was Hemiptera, chiefly Penta- 

 tomidae and Reduviidte; Rhynchophora and Hemiptera 

 made two and one per cent, respectively. Of spring-bee- 

 tles and Aphodiidae, only a trace had been eaten by two 

 of the birds. 



MiMUS POLYGLOTTUS, L. MOCKING-BIRD. 



This famous bird, not many years ago regarded as a rar- 

 ity in the state, is evidently becoming more abundant, and 

 is also extending its habitat northward. Collectors in the 

 southern part of the state agree to its increasing numbers 

 there. Three specimens were seen this year in the vicini- 

 ty of Bloomington, two of which w^ere secured. One of 

 these, shot in August, was of this year's brood, and as the 

 other two seemed thoroughly habituated, it is likely that 

 they had nested in this vicinity this season. It may be 

 worth while to note that sixty per cent, of the food of these 

 two specimens consisted of Orthoptera, including the 

 climbing cricket (Qllcanthus). Besides these, they had 

 eaten spiders and harvest-men, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and 

 ants. Among the Coleoptera were sj^ecimens of Onthoph- 

 agus, Epicauta vittata and long-snouted curculios. The 

 Hemiptera were undetermined Coreidae and Pentatomidae. 

 These birds had not eaten fruit, although the species is 

 reported to be especially fond of grai)es. 



Conclusion. 

 As a very general statement of the peculiarities of the 

 food of the resident species, we may say that the robin is 

 characterized by its destruction of caterpillars (especially 

 cutworms) and the larvjie of Bibio, by its neglect of ants, 

 spiders and Myriapods, and by its taste for blackberries 

 grai)es, and esj)ecially cherries ; that the catbird is distin- 



